I don’t cook with tofu often, but I am always learning new techniques to get the best flavor potential. I learned recently that in order to fry tofu properly, you have to press it to get the moisture out, which is one of the most fundamental tips.

(Side note: it’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t realize how much water is in tofu. I put three slices between paper towels and pressed them with two heavy wooden cutting boards, leaving it for about twenty minutes, and when I came back the paper towels were completely soaked and the water was dripping down the side of my kitchen table.)

Needless to say, I won’t underestimate tofu’s sponge-like capacity again-and thankfully, I ended up with fried tofu that was perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside.

Ingredients

Directions

Photos: Madeleine Ignon

First, press the tofu to get the water out of it: place the steaks between pieces of absorbent cloth (clean kitchen towels, paper towels, cheese cloth) and put something heavy on top of it so the moisture is pressed out. Leave for about twenty minutes.

Place a wide pan on a burner on high heat and coat it generously in olive oil. Let the oil get hot, then add the garlic. Coat the pieces of tofu in garbanzo flour and salt and pepper. Fry the tofu slices in the hot garlic-oil, letting them simmer on each side for about three minutes. When they are a nice golden brown, and the garlic is crispy, place the tofu on paper towel to absorb some of the oil.